Three Rivers Community College, Poplar Bluff

What Three Rivers Community College, Poplar Bluff does

Three Rivers College (formerly Three Rivers Community College) is a public, open-access two-year community college founded on April 5, 1966 and headquartered on an 80-acre campus at 2080 Three Rivers Boulevard in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. It is governed by a six-member Board of Trustees elected by voters of the Butler, Carter, Ripley, and Wayne county college district, and is led by President Dr. Wesley Payne (in role since July 2009). The institution awards the Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Certificates across more than 90 areas of study — 57 Career Programs and 38 Transfer Pathways — and serves a 15-county Southeast Missouri service area with a market-area population of approximately 185,000.

The college's product architecture is a platform-plus-modules model rather than a single software product. The academic core is delivered through TRC Online (13 fully-online degree pathways, 64.7% of Fall 2025 credit hours), the myTRCC Ellucian Cloud student portal, and the Blackboard LMS, supported by physical campuses in Poplar Bluff, Dexter, Kennett, and Sikeston. Adjacent modules include Nursing and Allied Health programs (Nursing, Practical Nursing, Paramedic, OTA, MLT, Respiratory Care), Workforce Development (CDL, OSHA, Project DRIVE, customized business training), Dual Credit with 33+ partnered Missouri high schools, ACHIEVE TRiO student support, Rivers Ridge student housing, Raiders Athletics, the Bess Activity Center, the Tinnin Fine Arts Center, and the Three Rivers Endowment Trust. Programmatic accreditation covers nursing (ACEN), paramedic (CAAHEP), OTA (ACOTE), MLT (NAACLS), and teacher prep (Missouri State Board of Education), with institutional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (reaffirmed August 3, 2018) and the Missouri Department of Higher Education, plus NC-SARA authorization for online reciprocity.

Revenue is driven primarily by the $23.9M annual operating budget (state and four-county taxing-district appropriation), supplemented by per-credit-hour tuition (Dual Credit flat at $66/credit hour inclusive of textbooks), auxiliary services (College Store, Rocky's café, Bess Activity Center memberships, Tinnin ticketed events, housing deposits), and an average of $400,000 annually in customized Business & Industry Training. $25M in financial aid (Federal Pell, loans, work-study, state grants, A+, institutional and outside scholarships) is pass-through to students, not institutional revenue. The endowment structure charges a 4% one-time administrative gift fee and a 1.15% annual management fee. Customer segments are diversified across Dual Credit high schoolers, transfer students, CTE students, online/distance learners, military/veterans, incarcerated learners, workforce training clients, and community members, with no material single-customer concentration.

Name

Three Rivers Community College, Poplar Bluff

Legal name

Three Rivers College

Website

https://trcc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Three Rivers College is a public two-year community college in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, founded in 1966. It serves a 15-county Southeast Missouri service area with associate degrees, online learning, allied health programs, workforce training, and dual-credit high school partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community College Education

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Junior Colleges (611210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rural/Regional Community Colleges (EDAHADAK)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Workforce training services
• Dual credit programs
• Online degree pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Poplar Bluff

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Operating Budget Allocation: $23.9 million annual operating budget driven by Missouri state and local (four-county taxing district of Butler, Carter, Ripley, Wayne) public appropriation for an open-access two-year associate degree-granting institution.
2. Tuition and Fees: Per-credit-hour tuition from credit students (in-district, out-of-district, online, dual credit at $66/credit hour including textbooks); resource fees bundled with required books and materials; meal plan card sales; housing deposits ($200 Rivers Ridge deposit); replacement diploma fees ($25).
3. Federal Title IV Financial Aid Pass-Through: $25 million in financial aid awarded annually, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, Stafford Loans, and CARES Act/HEERF emergency grants distributed to students.
4. Customized Workforce Training Contracts: Average of $400,000 annually in customized workforce training delivered to business and industry through Business & Industry Training, CDL Testing, OSHA Training, Commercial Driving Training, Project DRIVE, and the Workforce Training Lab.
5. Philanthropic Gifts and Endowment Trust: Charitable giving through the Three Rivers Endowment Trust with a 4% one-time administrative gift fee on non-endowed donations (endowed scholarships excluded) and 1.15% annual management fee on invested endowed funds; surplus property sales via GovDeals.
6. Auxiliary Services (Bookstore, Housing, Dining, Events): Revenue from The College Store (textbooks, supplies, apparel, meal plan cards), Rivers Ridge student housing, Rocky's café, Bess Activity Center memberships, Tinnin Fine Arts Center ticketed events (Center Stage / Patrons of the Arts), and facility rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Three Rivers Community College is an open-access public two-year institution conferring Associate of Arts, Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Certificate credentials across 57 Career Programs and 38 Transfer Pathways. It serves approximately 2,654 students annually through its 80-acre Poplar Bluff main campus, three full-service off-campus sites (Dexter, Kennett, Sikeston), 13 fully-online degree pathways via TRC Online, dual credit partnerships with 33+ Missouri high schools, and customized workforce training delivered to business and industry.

Product overview

Three Rivers College is a public, open-access two-year community college founded in 1966 and headquartered in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Rather than a single unified software product, its portfolio is a platform-plus-modules architecture of academic and community services: a degree-granting core offering the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate of Applied Science, and Certificates; the Dual Credit Program and Honors Program feeding those degrees; and the TRC Online distance-learning platform delivering 13 fully-online degree pathways through the integrated Blackboard LMS and myTRCC (Ellucian Cloud) student portal. Layered on top are the Workforce Development and Continuing Education modules (including CDL, OSHA, Project DRIVE, and healthcare classes), the Nursing and Allied Health programmatic suite (Nursing, Practical Nursing, Paramedic, Medical Laboratory Technician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Respiratory Care), the campus-life modules (Rivers Ridge Student Housing, Raiders Athletics, ACHIEVE TRiO support, the Arrettia and Herschel Bess Activity Center, Rocky's café, and the College Store), the cultural Tinnin Fine Arts Center, and the Three Rivers Endowment Trust philanthropic engine. The 2025–2030 strategic plan ("Engage 2030") names AI infrastructure, LMS evaluation, and online instructional quality as the next platform-level investments, but no AI-enabled product has been launched.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Raiders: Athletics program of Three Rivers College (Raiders and Lady Raiders teams; mascot 'Rocky Raider'; colors black and gold).
• TRC
• Three Rivers Endowment Trust

Products and services

• Associate of Arts Degree (Transfer Pathway)
• Associate of Arts in Teaching
• Associate of Science Degree
• Associate of Applied Science
• Certificates
• Dual Credit Program
• TRC Online
• Workforce Development and Training
• Nursing and Allied Health Programs
• Three Rivers Endowment Trust
• Student Housing — Rivers Ridge
• ACHIEVE Program (TRiO)
• Continuing Education and Community Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• $14 million+ in financial aid awarded to students
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship community partner, core, flagship pipeline partner, minor and flagship regulatory partner.

• Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreationflagship community partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-delivers nearly 20 weekly fitness classes in the Bess Activity Center; community members access weight/cardio machines, basketball and pickleball courts through pbparks.recdesk.com. The Bess Activity Center is operated in coordination with the city parks department, extending TRC's footprint into municipal recreation.
• Farm Credit Southeast MissouricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funded and hosted a May 15, 2026 ribbon-cutting for the new Farm Credit Ag classroom at the Crisp Technology Center in Poplar Bluff, supporting the College's agriculture and forestry programs. Several Farm Credit Southeast Missouri employees are also TRC alumni (e.g., Samantha Gatewood Douglas, Matthew Poole).
• Southeast Correctional CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Three Rivers College's prison education facility, expanding access to higher education for incarcerated learners in Southeast Missouri.
• 33+ Partnered Missouri High Schools (Dual Credit)flagship pipeline partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIncludes Advance, Bell City, Bernie, Bloomfield, Campbell, Caruthersville, Chaffee, Clarkton, Clearwater, Dexter, Doniphan, East Carter, Greenville, Hayti, Kennett, Kennett Christian Academy, Malden, Naylor, Neelyville, Oran, Poplar Bluff, Puxico, Richland, Risco, Scott City, Sikeston, Southern Reynolds, Thayer, Thomas W. Kelly, Twin Rivers, Van Buren, Westwood Baptist Academy, Zalma. High school counselors and the TRC Dual Credit Coordinator (Megan Garland, 573-840-9666) co-register students at $66/credit hour all-inclusive.
• Bootheel Technical Training Center (Dexter)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSix Three Rivers-Dexter students enrolled at the Bootheel Technical Training Center received an investment from the Dexter Chamber Foundation, providing tuition support for co-enrolled technical students.
• Dexter Chamber FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal chamber-affiliated foundation that invests in Three Rivers-Dexter students enrolled at the Bootheel Technical Training Center, helping fund technical education in Dexter.
• Poplar Bluff Adult Education & Literacy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity referral partner that hosts HISET review classes; complements TRC's mission by serving adult learners who later transition to college credit.
• MERS Goodwill Excel CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located referral pathway for adults 21+ seeking HISET review classes in Poplar Bluff (located by Bomgaars in the old Kmart building); complements TRC's adult education pipeline.
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)flagship regulatory partnerOthersInstitutional accreditor. Reaffirmed accreditation on August 3, 2018. Required for federal Title IV aid eligibility and credit transfer recognition. Uses HLC Criteria for Accreditation effective September 1, 2020.
• Missouri Department of Higher Educationflagship regulatory partnerOthersState-level accreditor / regulator. Designates CORE 42 MOTR transfer courses guaranteed to transfer to any Missouri public 4-year institution. Authorizes the State Aid and A+ Scholarship programs.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)coreOthersReciprocity agreement authorizing TRC to deliver online courses to students residing in other SARA participating states. Critical for TRC Online, which generates 64.7% of credit hours.
• Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing (ACEN)coreOthersProgrammatic accreditor for the Nursing (AAS) program. Combined with Missouri State Board of Nursing approval, underpins the 100% nursing licensure pass rate.
• Missouri State Board of NursingcoreOthersState regulator that fully approves the Nursing (AAS) and Practical Nursing programs. Site visits conducted at TRC (next scheduled for August 13, 2026 at the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center).
• Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of AOTAminorOthersProgrammatic accreditor for the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program.
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)minorOthersProgrammatic accreditor for the Paramedic program (upon recommendation of CoAEMSP). Recognized by Missouri DHSS Bureau of EMS as an accredited EMS training entity.
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)minorOthersProgrammatic accreditor for the Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) program under the Missouri Health Professions Consortium MLT Program.
• Missouri State Board of EducationminorOthersApproves TRC's pre-professional teacher education programs (Associate of Arts in Teaching / Elementary Education pathway).
• Kissinger & Kirkman Investment Centre, LLCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-founded by Distinguished Alumni Erick Kirkman; sits on TRC's Business Management Advisory Committee, frequently guest-speaks in TRC business classes, and is a major supporter of the Patrons of the Arts Society.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Moberly Area Community College: Public two-year community college in Moberly, Missouri, offering associate degrees, certificates, dual credit, online learning, and workforce training. Directly comparable as a Missouri community college district with similar mission, funding model, and program mix.
• State Fair Community College: Public two-year community college based in Sedalia, Missouri, serving a multi-county rural district with associate degrees, dual credit, online programs, and technical training. Comparable rural Missouri district structure and program portfolio.
• Crowder College: Public two-year community college in Neosho, Missouri, with similar rural Southwest Missouri service area, dual-credit high school partnerships, online programs, and allied-health career-technical offerings. Direct peer for program and geographic comparison.
• North Central Missouri College: Public two-year community college in Trenton, Missouri, with multi-county taxing district, dual credit, online learning, and technical career programs. Comparable Missouri community college district structure and rural footprint.
• East Central College: Public two-year community college in Union, Missouri, serving a multi-county district with associate degrees, dual credit, workforce training, and online programs. Comparable Missouri community college peer with overlapping allied-health and technical programs.
• Mineral Area College: Public two-year community college in Park Hills, Missouri, directly adjacent to Three Rivers' Southeast Missouri service region with overlapping dual-credit and technical training programs. Closest geographic competitor for in-region students.
• Ozarks Technical Community College: Public two-year community college in Springfield, Missouri, with a larger scale but similar program mix across transfer pathways, dual credit, online, and allied health. Comparable mission and accreditation profile; broader competitive threat for online students.
• Jefferson College: Public two-year community college in Hillsboro, Missouri, with multi-county taxing district, dual credit, online learning, and technical education. Comparable Missouri community college with overlapping programs and transfer pathways.

Regional players

• Missouri State University-West Plains: Two-year regional campus of Missouri State University in West Plains, Missouri, offering associate degrees and transfer pathways in rural South Central Missouri. Comparable regional two-year public higher-education provider with overlapping dual-credit and online offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Southeast Missouri State University: Four-year public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the dominant regional baccalaureate institution. Competes with Three Rivers on transfer-pathway outcomes (CORE 42 MOTR articulation) and online program offerings, and is the primary four-year destination for Three Rivers transfer students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThreeRivers_MO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ThreeRiversCollege/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/112771615424061
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/three-rivers-community-college--

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Three Rivers Community College, Poplar Bluff